Young At Heart
by sTk
Summary: It's Watari's Birthday


**"Watari-san, Watari-san!" **

It was L. And for once he seemed overjoyed. Something was off.

"Yes, L?"

Perhaps he hadn't had his sugar-filled breakfast yet.

**"Happy Birthday!"**

It almost came as a shock to the old man. It was his birthday, yes, the first of May, and yes it was the exact time of his birth, not even a second off when L proclaimed the words, but it was still a shock.  
He had just became sixty years old, in a flash, an instant. He could have sworn he was fifty-nine a moment ago and that this birthday wasn't happening but it was.  
He was getting old.  
He _was_ old. He was just getting older.

"Oh, is that that time already," he lied, innocently, in a grandfatherly way to a child. "I suppose we should have a special cake for the occasion?" he asked, smiling at the boy.

**"No"**

It was even more shocking than turning sixty. L refused cake? L never refused anything. Well he did, but never cake.

"No?"

**"I'd like you to open your presents first".**

L. Most likely the only thirteen year old to earn so much money to afford expensive presents at such a young age. The fact he even thought enough about Watari to buy him something brought a smile to Watari's face that L could see and enjoy too. The little tear in his eye, luckily, he never seen.

L was everything he could have asked for in a son or a grandson. They could never be blood related but sometimes, to both of them, the bond seemed even stronger than that.  
Watari didn't cry because the boy had bought him presents. No.  
Watari was crying, in own way, because he was glad he had set up Wammy's House. Glad he had found L. Glad L had "taken a shine" to him so much because L was what Watari could never have.  
Watari could never have children. He was infertile.  
Something he lived with for forty years, through twenty years of marriage.  
Something that didn't matter now.

"Yes L. Let's go get the presents!" he patted the boy on the head, messing up his ,already messed up, hair moreso.

**"No Watari-san. I'll bring them to you."**

Another shock. Then again, life was full of shocks when it came to L.  
The next sight was even more of a shock but it was hilarious at the same time.

L was struggling with a package. It was double the size of him, and it seemed heavy; the boy could barely drag it.

"I'll help you L. No complaints"

Reluctantly, L looked up at Watari, assessing the situation. His eyes scanned the face, then the package, then the face, then the package. Before he finally gave up.

**"Okay!"** and with that he jumped onto his chair and sat eagerly awaiting the opening.  
The package was very neatly wrapped for a boy. Even for a boy like L.  
The paper was white, with printed W's on it (to which Watari wanted to keep pristine. He even thought of framing it) and the bow was bright and purple. What was inside, was a mystery.

He tapped the box lightly. It was hard. Almost wooden?

Delicately, always delicately, Watari opened the package. He did make sure to save the paper, at least an A4 slice though because he wasn't opening it fast enough L decided to join in a tear the rest of it to shreds until all that was left was infact:  
A wooden box.

"It's…"

**"You have to open the box Watari-san"**

"Oh," Watari paused looking at the pine box. He never really knew what to expect with L's gifts. One year he got a piece of green plastic, though L was very young.

L did the honours of opening it, to Watari's relief.  
Inside the box was still a mystery. There was a fair bit of bubble wrap disguising the present.

"If only I just asked what it was this would have been so much easier," he bent down onto his knees without even a crack (the years of exercise had done him justice) and began to remove the bubble wrap.  
He removed one sheet and gave it to L who began to press the bubbles, intrigued at it, biting his finger after the second burst. Inside he finally knew what it was. It was obvious really from the size of box, from the weight, from the now dulled down metal, the long barrel, the scope. A brand new, wartime issue, Mosin Nagant Sniper Rifle.

"L… this is…," Watari turned on his knees, grabbing L by the waist and lifting it up. Spinning him round.  
Sure, L was _"officially"_ too old for this but he still enjoyed it. He still laughed with Watari, enjoying his enjoyment. "Thankyou, my boy. I really love it," he laughed picking it up with one hand, regaining a bit of youth, as he cocked it and looked through the sight.

L reached into the box, picking up what looked like instructions and passed them to Watari, who was still beaming. **"I also have your licenses for multiple countries too, as well as a few boxes full of rounds."  
**  
"You're a genius." He was stating the obvious but he couldn't help it. He never thought L would buy him something like this, he kept his hobby a secret.

**"So they tell me"** he said again, hopping into the, now empty, box.

Then again nothing was a secret from L.

"Well I'll have to plan something for your fourteenth. It's not long away. Anything special you'd like?"

**"A new case! One were I can finally see you shoot a criminal."**

"L, don't be like that. These things aren't toys, and while you may have bought me it, you won't be using it. Do you understand?"

His eyes were almost heartbreaking as he looked up from inside the box but he nodded with a smile.

**"As long as you use it I'll be happy. If I only thought you'd display it I'd have bought a deactivated one. They're cheaper. This model is thirty six percent cheaper as a deactivated version rather than live. But you only keep live ones so it's fine. As long as you're happy."**  
Watari smiled, holding back his tears again. This boy was something. He couldn't be described by words alone. To know L, you had to live with L. Not even those at the orphanage could compare, really.  
He was one of a kind.  
_But._  
Watari's smile faltered as he tried not to show it to L.  
The boy caught it though. He sat up almost instantly, pondering. Thinking. Dissecting the frown, looking for the meaning.  
**"Watari-san will live for many more birthdays to come. I'm ninety-six percent Watari will reach one hundred years old."**

"What's the other four percent for, L" Watari gave a laugh, looking at the boy with a half-smile, his eyes shimmering.

**"Watari-san will die at the same time as me of course."**

He said it so calmly, so unaware of it's effect. It was soothing to the old man but still a bit chilling to hear it. And it was something he couldn't accept.

"Well I don't believe that, L. For once," he gave another smile, "Now, comeon. It's time for cake"

L jumped up, smiling, running to hug his would-be father. "Watari-san?"

"Yes, L?"

**"I'm never wrong, am I?"**

_No._

He wasn't.


End file.
